Happy Birthday
by bookish-type-7
Summary: Annabeth's PoV from the infamous kiss in TLO.


Carrying the cupcake out of the kitchens, I'm so happy I'm nearly skipping. I'm going to tell him tonight, no doubt. I will NOT worm my way out of this one again, like I have so many other times before. I'm literally bursting with anticipation.

A warm summer breeze drifts through the night, and I spot Percy right where I know he'll be⎯ mulling the whole battle thing over in that kelp head of his. I run over to the bench he's sitting at, careful not to tip over my masterpiece of a cake. (Thank you very much, no need for applause…)

"Hey," I casually say as I plop down next to him, "Happy birthday."

"What?"

"It's August 18th. Your birthday, right?" I roll my eyes. It's so like him to forget his own birthday. "Make a wish," I tell him.

"Did you bake this yourself?" he asks, a gleam of laughter in his eyes and his face spreading out into a small grin.

"Tyson helped," I answer swiftly.

"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick. With extra blue cement," Percy remarks sarcastically. I giggle softly. His eyes close for a moment, concentrating, then smoothly blew out the candle.

We both started eating it with our hands, and I savored this sweet moment, just sitting together while the stars were almost out, the grasses sway in the soft wind, and the serene peacefulness of it all.

I finally speak, breaking the silence. "You saved the world."

"We saved the world," he says, surprising me.

"And Rachel is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody," I say- which only had a tint of the mischievous joy I was feeling.

"You don't sound disappointed," Percy notices, and I shrugged with a small grin upon my face.

I try to keep my emotions under control with a small, "Oh, I don't care." In my head, however? I think I'm going all caps.

"Uh-huh," he retorted.

I go on the offensive. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"

"You'd probably kick my butt."

"You know I'd kick your butt."

"When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable . . . Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal," he says, raising my hopes a little higher with each word.

I keep my eyes on the sea behind him. "Yeah?"

"Then up on Olympus," he rambles on, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking⎯"

"Oh, you so wanted to," I grin, knowing my words were totally true.

"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought⎯ I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking . . ." Percy trails off nervously. I try not to fall off the bench in suppressed glee; I thought I had more self-control . . .

"Anyone in particular?" I ask, my voice unusually small, pushing him on.

He turns that head of his over to look into my eyes, and I melt. Gods, he was absolutely gorgeous. It just wasn't fair. "You're laughing at me!" he pouts.

"I am not!"

"You are so not making this easy."

And I know, it's time. I shout inside my head, UNLEASH WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN FREAKING HOLDING IN SINCE SIXTH GRADE. I take in the scene around me, putting every single detail into that part of your memories you will keep forever, and tell him, wrapping my arms around his neck, laughing, "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."

And so, I kiss him. Softly at first, then deepened the kiss, pulling him closer. The best part? He kissed me back. Percy's lips, the ones I've been dreaming about forever, are mine. All of him, mine. Victory is scrumpdillyumptious.

I hear a voice in the background, and I see instantly we're being spied on. Crap. "Well, it's about time!" Clarisse, I know it. I pull away and glare at her, knowing full well she's videotaping too.

"Oh, come on! Is there no privacy?!" Percy shouts.

"The lovebirds need to cool off!" Clarisse says with glee, when Connor responds, "The canoe lake!"

Everyone hoists us up onto their shoulders, and Percy and I are laughing, his face tomato red, and our hands are still entwined together right until they dump us into the water. I grab a deep breath before going down, and right away I see I didn't need to.

Percy pulls me deeper, then does that "underwater bubble thing," and then we're kissing again, happiness streaming through my veins.

And I know that it's the best freaking underwater kiss of all time.


End file.
